According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), immunizations can help protect your child from contracting 16 different diseases. Some of these illnesses could be deadly, including the flu.

Letting go of your child's hand on the first day of their school journey might be difficult for you and for him, but it's the first step toward letting him fly on his own, and it's an important milestone. Here are some real-mom tips to make it
easier on both of you.

There are a number of signs that a child needs a tutor, says Debbie Martini, director of a local Sylvan Learning Center. "These could include difficulty doing homework,
unfinished assignments, poor test grades, frustration and tears."

It is universally accepted that visiting a college before accepting an offer to attend can influence a student's success. The conundrum for parents is, given the time and
expense of visits, how best to help their student figure out what type of school is the best fit?

As kids start spending more time indoors, whether it is at school or in the house doing homework, it's important to make time to go outdoors. Use the following head-spinning
assortment of creative, educational and exhilarating activities to create plenty of new memories while learning together as a family.

Could your good intentions be interfering with your child's development of necessary life skills? It should be no surprise that excessive parental involvement can also extend to our children's social lives. Growing up is hard
enough without parents intervening in one of the few areas that kids can control - their relationships. So, how do you know when to be involved in your child's social life and when to step aside? Follow these guidelines.

Does your child love to sing? Love plunking on the piano or pounding on the drum? Do you think you might have a future musician in your home? Let's look at some short- and long-term benefits of music lessons.

Remember that parent and child relationships go through cycles of connection, disconnection and reconnection. If you are feeling disconnected with your child,
understand that it is part of the journey of relating to another person, and that there will be an opportunity for reconnecting again. In the end, children want to be connected to us - it is that simple.

Like most parents, I was horrified when I discovered my daughter had head lice. But, as a pediatrician, I knew there was no real cause for alarm. The head louse, or pediculus
humanus capitis, is pesky, and maybe even a little yucky, but essentially harmless.